French rural bars - a dying breed?

BARS and bistros are disappearing from the French countryside, with 17 times fewer of them compared to half a century ago.

In 1960 there were 600,000 places serving soft and alcoholic drinks dotted across the rural regions of France – today fewer than 35,000 remain. Perhaps more shockingly, 26,000 villages are now without a place to socialise over a drink or a bite – leading some French media to dub them “bar-free zones”.

One in three people living in small or remote communes say that not only do they lack a local, but there are none to be found in the surrounding area. Three quarters said the social fabric of their neighbourhood had been weakened by the absence.

The study by French pollster Ifop found that major contributing factors to the disappearance of bars from non-urban areas were the smoking ban, soaring prices of drinks and the decline of the rural population.

Do you live in the countryside and have you noticed local bars and cafes closing down in your area? If so write to us about your experiences here.